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<h1 id="title">EPOReferral-QuickAnswers</h1>
<div dir="ltr" id="content" lang="en"><span class="anchor" id="top"></span>
<span class="anchor" id="line-2"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-3"></span><p class="line867">
<h1 id="Very_short_answers_to_G3.2F08_Referral_.28by_Peter_Gerwinski.29">Very short answers to G3/08 Referral (by Peter Gerwinski)</h1>
<span class="anchor" id="line-4"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-5"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-6"></span><ol type="1"><li>CAN A COMPUTER PROGRAM ONLY BE EXCLUDED AS A COMPUTER PROGRAM AS SUCH IF IT IS EXPLICITLY CLAIMED AS A COMPUTER PROGRAM? <span class="anchor" id="line-7"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-8"></span></li></ol><p class="line874">No. A Software patent must be excluded even if the patent application avoids to call a spade a spade. <span class="anchor" id="line-9"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-10"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-11"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">2.(A) CAN A CLAIM IN THE AREA OF COMPUTER PROGRAMS AVOID EXCLUSION UNDER ART. 52(2)(C) AND (3) MERELY BY EXPLICITLY MENTIONING THE USE OF A COMPUTER OR A COMPUTER-READABLE DATA STORAGE MEDIUM? <span class="anchor" id="line-12"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-13"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">No. Doing so would tear down all limits to patentability. <span class="anchor" id="line-14"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-15"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-16"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">2.(B) IF QUESTION 2 (A) IS ANSWERED IN THE NEGATIVE, IS A FURTHER TECHNICAL EFFECT NECESSARY TO AVOID EXCLUSION, SAID EFFECT GOING BEYOND THOSE EFFECTS INHERENT IN THE USE OF A COMPUTER OR DATA STORAGE MEDIUM TO RESPECTIVELY EXECUTE OR STORE A COMPUTER PROGRAM? <span class="anchor" id="line-17"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-18"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">Whether this is enough, depends on the definition of "technical". <span class="anchor" id="line-19"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-20"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-21"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">3.(A) MUST A CLAIMED FEATURE CAUSE A TECHNICAL EFFECT ON A PHYSICAL ENTITY IN THE REAL WORLD IN ORDER TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE TECHNICAL CHARACTER OF THE CLAIM? <span class="anchor" id="line-22"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-23"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">Not "a claimed feature", but the innovation must consist in physical effect (as opposed to "a mathematical effect"). <span class="anchor" id="line-24"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-25"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-26"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">3.(B) IF QUESTION 3 (A) IS ANSWERED IN THE POSITIVE, IS IT SUFFICIENT THAT THE PHYSICAL ENTITY BE AN UNSPECIFIED COMPUTER? <span class="anchor" id="line-27"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-28"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">No. <span class="anchor" id="line-29"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-30"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-31"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">3.(C) IF QUESTION 3 (A) IS ANSWERED IN THE NEGATIVE, CAN FEATURES CONTRIBUTE TO THE TECHNICAL CHARACTER OF THE CLAIM IF THE ONLY EFFECTS TO WHICH THEY CONTRIBUTE ARE INDEPENDENT OF ANY PARTICULAR HARDWARE THAT MAY BE USED? <span class="anchor" id="line-32"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-33"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">No. When the innovation doesn't have a physical character, mentioning some hardware won't give it one. <span class="anchor" id="line-34"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-35"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-36"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">4.(A) DOES THE ACTIVITY OF PROGRAMMING A COMPUTER NECESSARILY INVOLVE TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS? <span class="anchor" id="line-37"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-38"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">No. <span class="anchor" id="line-39"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-40"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-41"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">4.(B) IF QUESTION 4 (A) IS ANSWERED IN THE POSITIVE, DO ALL FEATURES RESULTING FROM PROGRAMMING THUS CONTRIBUTE TO THE TECHNICAL CHARACTER OF A CLAIM? <span class="anchor" id="line-42"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-43"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">No. <span class="anchor" id="line-44"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-45"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-46"></span><ul><li style="list-style-type:none">4.(C) IF QUESTION 4 (A) IS ANSWERED IN THE NEGATIVE, CAN FEATURES RESULTING FROM PROGRAMMING CONTRIBUTE TO THE TECHNICAL CHARACTER OF A CLAIM ONLY WHEN THEY CONTRIBUTE TO A FURTHER TECHNICAL EFFECT WHEN THE PROGRAM IS EXECUTED? <span class="anchor" id="line-47"></span><span class="anchor" id="line-48"></span></li></ul><p class="line874">Whether this is enough, depends on the definition of "technical". <span class="anchor" id="line-49"></span><span class="anchor" id="bottom"></span></div><p id="pageinfo" class="info" lang="en" dir="ltr">EPOReferral-QuickAnswers  (last edited 2009-08-15 23:47:13 by <span title="??? @ localhost[127.0.0.1]">localhost</span>)</p>

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